Drivers' hours rules: the basics

GB domestic rules on drivers' hours

The GB domestic drivers' hours rules are set out in the Transport Act 1968. They apply to most passenger-carrying vehicles and goods vehicles that do not have to follow the European Union (EU) rules. Separate rules apply in Northern Ireland.

There are two key requirements for drivers to meet GB domestic rules:

• Daily driving limit - a driver must not drive for more than ten hours in a day. The daily driving limit applies to time spent at the wheel actually driving on a public road. Off-road driving counts as duty time.
• Daily duty limit - a driver must not be on duty for more that 11 hours on any working day. A driver is exempt from the daily duty limit on any working day when they do not drive.

The rules do not apply to drivers who always drive off the public road, eg driving as part of work in road improvements or road maintenance, quarrying, construction work and civil engineering works.

In addition, a driver who drives for fewer than four hours in any day in any fixed week does not have to meet the drivers' hours requirement during that week. A fixed week is from 24.00 on Sunday to 24.00 on the next Sunday.

For more information on following GB rules, see our guide on GB drivers' hours rules.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• The different sets of drivers' hours rules, and when they apply
• Drivers' hours rules that apply to goods vehicles
• Drivers' hours rules that apply to passenger carrying vehicles
• European Union rules on drivers' hours
• AETR rules on drivers' hours
• GB domestic rules on drivers' hours
• Driving under more than one set of drivers' hours rules
• How working time regulations affect you as a driver under EU drivers' hours rules
• How working time regulations affect you as a driver under GB drivers' hours rules or as an occasional mobile worker
• How drivers' hours rules are enforced

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